Gurugram builder served notice over 5-year-old’s death in swimming pool

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, July 28

The Gurugram administration has issued a show-cause notice to the builder of the BPTP Serene Park Society, Sector 37, seeking explanation for the alleged negligence that lead to the death of a five-year-old boy in the society’s swimming pool.

Residents have been protesting after the incident, seeking action against the builder. The police have nabbed five employees of the pool maintenance agency, but residents also held the builder responsible for hiring an “incompetent” agency. They had had written a complaint to DC Nishant Yadav, who issued a show-cause notice to the builder.

“We have asked the builder to explain his take on the unfortunate accident. We need to know on what grounds was the agency hired and was any effort made to check its credentials or past records. We will penalise the builder in case we find the reply unsatisfactory,” Yadav said.

The administration has also formulated a ‘pool safety’ policy and issued a 30-point SOP for pools in clubs and housing societies. The policy mandates that a parent, guardian or any other adult must accompany any children who are aged less than 10 years.

It would be mandatory to get a DTP approval for setting up a swimming pool. Besides, they must hire only trained and police-verified staff and equip each pool with first-aid equipment, including oxygen cylinders.

It may be noted that the administration has also mandated that staff on the pool be trained in life-saving techniques like resuscitation.

It is learnt that even after the boy was retrieved from the pool by the life guard, no attempt was made to revive the five-year-old.

“In March itself, we had issued a directive on how to run these pools and ensure safety, but the directive is being overlooked. This policy will be binding and now RWA’s, builders and clubs will have to ensure compliance,” said DC Yadav.

A letter has also been issued to the RWAs, builders and clubs to ensure compliance regarding swimming pools norms, failing which they too will be held accountable for any negligence on their part.